Metro | Published January 11, 2023
1. Aqua Freeze Festival
Jan. 14-15 • St. Clair Shores
An estimated 20,000 people are expected to brave the cold during the Aqua Freeze Festival, scheduled for noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Blossom Heath Park, 24800 Jefferson Ave. in St. Clair Shores. Activities will include ice carving shows, horse-drawn carriage rides and live music, along with a new feature for 2023, a fire and ice tower. There will also be food trucks and a craft beer tent. For more information, visit scsmi.net.
Read the story: St. Clair Shores prepares to chill with Aqua Freeze Festival
2. Detroit Boat Show
Jan. 14-15 • Detroit
The Detroit Boat Show will dock at Huntington Place, 1 Washington Blvd. in Detroit, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Visit with more than 100 exhibitors, hear live music at the Tiki Bar, enter to win a free boat trailer, sign up for a boater safety class, check out the kids zone and more. The 65th annual event will continue on Monday, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and conclude Jan. 19-22. For more information, visit huntingtonplacedetroit.com/events/detail/65th-annual-detroit-boat-show or boatmichigan.org/detroit-boat-show.
3. Nature walks/hikes
Various dates and locations
Rochester
Learn about local species of owls and listen for their calls during a trail hike from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bear Creek Nature Park, 740 W. Snell Road in Rochester. For more information and to register, call (248) 651-7810 or visit oaklandtownship.recdesk.com.
Royal Oak
The Royal Oak Nature Society will host a winter wildflower walk at 2 p.m. Sunday at Cummingston Park, located at Torquay and Leafdale avenues. For more information about this and other free local outdoor events, visit romi.gov/411/Nature-Walks.
Shelby Township
Take a guided hike with a naturalist from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center, 4101 River Bends Drive in Shelby Township. For more information, call (586) 323-2478 or visit shelbytwp.org.
4. 'Harold and Maude: The Musical'
Jan. 13-15 • Birmingham
“Harold and Maude: The Musical” will make its American community theater debut this weekend. The Birmingham Village Players will tell the story of Harold, a death-obsessed 20-year-old, and Maude, a life-affirming 80-year-old, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. The musical is based on the 1971 film by Colin Higgins; composer Joseph Thalken is expected to travel from New York to see the Saturday performance and give a talkback afterward. The Birmingham Village Players, 34660 Woodward Ave., is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. For more information, call (248) 644-2075 or visit birminghamvillageplayers.com.
Read the story: Village Players to perform ‘Harold and Maude: The Musical’
'Birthday Club' and 'Calendar Girls'
Catch two more stage shows in nearby Rochester and Rochester Hills. "Birthday Club" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Meadow Brook Theatre, on Oakland University's campus in Wilson Hall, 378 Meadow Brook Road. For more information, visit mbtheatre.com or call (248) 377-3300. "Calendar Girls" will get the spotlight at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at Avon Players, 1185 Washington Road. For more information, call (248) 608-9077 or visit avonplayers.org.
5. MLK Day events
Jan. 15 & 16 • Various locations
Berkley/Royal Oak
The Berkley and Royal Oak school districts will host “A Day On, Not a Day Off” at 9 a.m Monday at Berkley High School, 2325 Catalpa Drive. Attendees can get refreshments and make a poster for the freedom walk at 9:30 a.m. Afterward, participants can sort donations, make cards of thanks for first responders and military personnel, and create no-sew fleece blankets to donate to a shelter. For more information, visit romi.gov/998/MLK-Service-Day.
Farmington Hills
The Farmington Community Library’s annual MLK Day Celebration will kick off at 10 a.m. Monday at its Farmington Hills location, 32737 W. 12 Mile Road. Activities will include sign making and a march, a student-led discussion, a vocalist and dance performances, and a display of artwork. For more information, visit farmlib.org/mlk.
Macomb Township
Children ages 3-12 are invited to hear a story and work on a craft in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library - North Branch, 54100 Broughton Road in Macomb Township. For more information, call (586) 226-5080 or visit cmpl.org.
Roseville
The Roseville Public Library, 29777 Gratiot Ave., will invite people to make cat and dog toys and blankets for shelters between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday. For more information, email rsvlibraryservice@roseville-mi.gov, visit rosevillelibrary.org/wordpress or call (586) 445-5407.
Southfield
A peace walk will take place at 9 a.m. Monday at Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway in Southfield. At 11 a.m., a program will be held at the Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Road, with a taste fest to follow. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force hosts the annual event, whose theme this year is “The Global Impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” For more information, call (248) 924-9655 or visit mlktaskforcemi.org.
Troy
The city of Troy's MLK Day of Service will start with a free community breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Athens High School, 4333 John R Road. A program featuring keynote speaker Roop Raj, of Fox 2 News, will occur at 9 a.m. The school also will host service projects, as will Troy High School, 4777 Northfield Parkway. For more information, visit facebook.com/TroyMI and scroll down for a video.
West Bloomfield
The West Bloomfield School District and Greater West Bloomfield Community will host the 29th annual United We Walk event Sunday at West Bloomfield Middle School, 6000 Orchard Lake Road. Listen to a short program at 1 p.m., take part in the walk at 1:30 p.m. and work on a service project from 2 to 3 p.m. For more information, visit wbsd.org/community/united-we-walk.
The West Bloomfield Township Public Library will host two events Monday. MLK storytelling will be held from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at the Main Branch, 4600 Walnut Lake Road. ‘I Have a Dream’ storytime will take place from 1 to 1:45 p.m. at the Westacres Branch, 7321 Commerce Road. For more information, call (248) 363-4022.
For more Community Calendar and to upload your own event, visit candgnews.com/calendar.